Raffles by E. W. Hornung (Readers Library, c1935)

Raffles – The Amateur Cracksman

E. W. Hornung
London: The Readers Library Publishing Company Ltd, [No Date] circa 1935

The Readers Library published affordable editions of popular fiction in the period 1924-35, cheaply produced but very attractive with their distinctive dustwrapper artwork.

Originally published 1899 by Methuen (UK) and Scribner’s (US) as a collection of eight short stories featuring the gentleman thief. This Readers Library edition also contains six short stories (of eight) from ‘The Black Mask’ (Grant Richards, 1901).

There are two editions of this title from Readers Library; the earlier edition (c1925) in their usual format of red cloth boards and wrap-round dustwrapper artwork, and also a green cloth edition with white spine/art to front panel of dustwrapper. The green cloth editions were published around 1935 towards the end of the publisher’s lifespan and were a thicker and slightly better quality than the standard edition.

The standard red cloth editions can be approximately dated from the foreword text; the thicker green cloth editions from the list of titles to dustwrapper verso, No 430 Cleopatra being published 1935*.

Hardback. Publisher’s green cloth with gilt title to spine and gilt rules and device to front board. In a dustwrapper with list of titles to verso. pp 253. Size: 6.75 x 4.5 inches approx. (170mm x 114mm).

Dustwrapper a little rubbed and worn, especially to spine ends and corner tips with small loss; dusty/grubby in places. Cloth a touch dusty but generally clean and bright; gilt dulled to spine. Pages age-toned throughout, a touch dusty in places, otherwise clean; some spotting to edges of page-block.

Overall, light wear but otherwise a particularly nice, clean copy – quite lovely.

– – – – –

References

*British Library

An interesting look at The Readers Library can be found at A Series of Series